Ethics in the digital workplace
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns.
The furniture manufacturing company IKEA Industry Poland announced plans to reduce its employment by 150 jobs at its production facility in Wielbark near Szczytno. As the source reports, the programme is related to the Covid-19 pandemic and a drop in demand for furniture and home improvement goods. The restructuring was registered by the company at the local employment agency in Szczytno. The company's management assured that affected workers will receive support by the company for finding new employment.
A subsidiary of Inter IKEA Group, the company is the biggest manufacturer of furniture in the world. It owns 43 factories in nine countries. In Poland, the company employs over 10,000 people in the 20 production sites, spread over 10 locations. Currently, IKEA employs 1,600 people at the Wielbark factory.
Eurofound (2020), IKEA Industry Poland, Internal restructuring in Poland, factsheet number 100766, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/100766.